Pledge Of Allegiance Essay

843 words - 4 pages

Though it is taught at a very young age with the premise of inspiring patriotic feeling and held in high esteem due to it’s historical significance, the Pledge of Allegiance is surrounded by controversy. The Pledge of Allegiance should not be enforced in schools due to it being a clear violation of the First and Fourth Amendments, its conflict with other people’s beliefs, and it’s blatantly false promise of equality.

We live in a world where expression and freedom of thought is, thankfully, somewhat allowed and even encouraged. Why then should we, as a free country, be forced to say a Pledge that most haven’t even bothered to analyze? Can we truly believe that the children currently ...view middle of the document...

While the Pledge of Allegiance speaks of “liberty” and “justice for all”, there are thousands of African American people, Hispanic people, and other minorities that are getting harassed every single day of their lives. (Rose Russell) Where is their liberty? Did the Pledge of Allegiance apply to Trayvon Martin or did it only apply to George Zimmerman? It would be blatant disrespect to the people of America that are so often excluded and denied their basic rights to recite the Pledge as if its words deem true. Those words are not true, they are not inclusive, and until they are, schools should not be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

While there is more evidence in the favor of going against the Pledge of Allegiance, there are also some things one must consider before making their final opinion. (Dave Bohon) Firstly, the roots. The beginnings of the Pledge of Allegiance were genuinely created to inspire patriotism and pride within all Americans. However, during the 1950’s, former President Eisenhower added “under god” to it’s wording. It was not intentional for the Pledge to be religious. Rather, it was created to inspire patriotism. What many do is simply ignore the “God” part and repeat the rest of the pledge. In this why, you would be following your personally held beliefs while still showing loyalty for your country. Also, to ban the pledge from...

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